Using "systematic analysis of voting behavior" and a "voluminous library of compelling insider accounts," the study concludes that president pets are "an important political force."

"We surmise that diversionary pets are a political liability when their frolicking on the White House lawn in hard times might cue the public that not everyone in the country is suffering equally and that being president is not a full-time job," the study concludes.

Presidents have long used pets as political props. Franklin Roosevelt accused Republicans of sullying the good name of his dog Fala, while Richard Nixon (not yet president) used his dog Checkers to humanize him in the midst of scandal.

It's also not clear that Bo is dragging down Obama — he's been a popular (and adorable) addition to the White House. And a picture of him and actress Betty White is currently the third most viewed item on this blog.

UPDATE: Some commenters questioned whether the entire study was elaborate satire. I reached out to the study's authors for verification.

"The data and conclusions are real even if there were some tongue-in-cheek references," Forrest Maltzman, professor of Political Science at George Washington University and the study's lead author wrote in an email.

"It was a fun project and reflects the collegiality of the political science department. Every now and then, we like to take our methodological skills and apply them to seemingly goofy, but still interesting, political questions," Maltzman wrote.